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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 24 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Rollerball on 9/22/2022 & rated 95 points: Heavenly balance of pure fruit and delicate penetration.
Coy but exquisite. Wild underneath. (784 views) | | | Tasted by michmoutt on 7/10/2022 & rated 92 points: Wine was good, really enjoyed primary fruit aromas despite 7 years after vintage, it was a bit on the "cooked" side, as I had a better memory of the wine tasting it in 2016. Should give it more time, tannns were very velvety already ! (649 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 5/29/2021 & rated 92 points: Absolutely wonderful spicey fruity nose of cherries and slight herby/forest floor notes. The palate is a silky smooth pinot delight, not as dense as some of the other blocks, but it has lovely depth of spices, dark cherries, with a slight sour fruitiness of maybe cranberries and the finish is long and velvety with a touch of raspberries. Absolutely delicious and great wine to seek out and try and #giveanewwineago sadly my last bottle of six. 92 points (1211 views) | | | Tasted by Darke Peak on 8/14/2020 & rated 95 points: PnP. Medium colour. Great from the start but continued to develop with each glass. Dark cherry, some herbs and forest floor. Fruit is noticeable but not sweet. Tannin is extremely well integrated and doesn’t stand out, definitely present but can’t tell if it is skins, oak or stem dominant. There’s a slight bitterness which sometimes accompanies a short palate, but not in this case, it has great length. Drinking well now and should be good up to 2025. Note to self: can’t recall trying the Cornish before this bottle, suspect this label will have a distinctive terroir - try a vertical of 3 vintages spread over 6-9 years.
Gassed the last glass in the bottle overnight. Day 2 it was still good but the bitter palate was more noticeable and it seemed shorter. (1601 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 7/25/2020 & rated 92 points: reviewed this in March and a class Pinot well worth seeking out. 92 points (1515 views) | | | Tasted by chadslater on 5/24/2020 & rated 93 points: As good as I remember tasting at the vineyard. Which isn’t always the case. That pinosity” on the nose, black cherries and spices, big, with legs in the glass showing at 14% alc. Colour is dark, that Otago pinot look. Still lots of primary characteristics. Had with ginger duck and chicken Katsu. An excellent wine. (1191 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundynick on 3/13/2020 & rated 92 points: wonderful spicey fruity nose of cherries and slight herby/forest floor notes. The palate is a silky smooth pinot delight, not as dense as some of the other blocks, but it has lovely depth of spices, dark cherries, with a slight sour fruitiness of maybe cranberries and the finish is long and velvety with a touch of raspberries. Absolutely delicious and a great #winethursday wine. I bought this from @laywheeler for £35 a few years ago a look on @winesearcher prices are a bit more. So buy early 92 points (1257 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 6/4/2019 & rated 90 points: No detailed notes taken. Cool climate, rather cool blue fruit on the nose, more sweet strawberries on the palate. Some smoke and stems. Soft and balanced but rather unexciting, not overly complex and short. Not bad but if you have a few bottles I would rather wait 10 or 15 years before opening a bottle. This wine needs more time to develop more complexity as it is not made in a very hedonistic style which would make it very good in its youth. 90 points with potential for more.
Decanting: Not decanted. Good from the start. Better wait 10+ years before opening a bottle. (2040 views) | | | Tasted by SmokeTaint on 10/14/2018 & rated 94 points: wait a decade (960 views) | | | Tasted by BigJ on 3/14/2018: Toasty, ripe fruited nose. Dark in colour. rich cocoa and coffee notes with dark cherry and a herbal character. good, but young. (2254 views) | | | Tasted by LindsayM on 7/10/2017 & rated 94 points: Colour purple Crimson colour , good depth of colour, clear edges bright and clear 15/15
Nose excellent intensity red cherries , plums , spice , dark florals, good complexity 27/30
Palate once again great intensity of flavour , excellent balance of fruit and tannins , hard to fault 28/30
Overall super wine 10/11 (2565 views) | | | Tasted by Vaughanwallace on 2/11/2017 & rated 93 points: Sour cherries. Slightly green nose. Full mouthful of flavour. Delicious (2644 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 2/4/2017 & rated 93 points: Medium ruby color; lifted, savory, cranberry, sour cherry, charcoal, green herb nose; tight, tasty, complex, savory, cranberry, sour cherry, charcoal, green herb, tart raspberry, saline palate with near medium acidity; could use 3-plus years; medium-plus finish (14% alcohol) (706 views) | | | Tasted by kostaslonis on 1/16/2017 & rated 89 points: New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls): A step up from the "plain" Pinot Noir, red fruit, spicier, the palate is at the same level with the nose, round, clean red fruit, tasty, balanced, med finish (1450 views) | | | Tasted by Vini Ciclismo on 8/30/2016 & rated 89 points: Cherry red, light purple hue.
Bright red berry fragrance with a fair amount of spice, mainly cherry pip zest, perhaps just a hint of whole bunch.
Solid weight, lots of flavour extract, a little dense/syrupy, pure cherry and damson with a little black fruit, finishes powerfully, fine tannins but heavy flavours. A few years to soften up would be good for it. (2409 views) |
| Felton Road Producer website
Our Wines
Felton Road is a specialist wine producer making a small range of limited bottlings which express the terroir and minerality of vineyard blocks and sites, and the regionality of Bannockburn in Central Otago. The expression of the wines is guided sensitively and sympathetically to also fit within the parameters of what makes the great wines of the world the best. Felton Road has 32 ha of vines, Demeter certified since 2010, with Pinot Noir accounting for 70% of the output; Chardonnay is 20% of the production and Riesling is 10%. There are only approximately 12,000 cases of wine made each year, 75% of which is exported to 35 different countries. It is this international acceptance and perspective that makes Felton Road unique.
A good winemaker has a thousand ways to make a wine "better" but, better by whose assessment? It has taken us over a decade to gradually acquire the confidence to understand that the wine should be what the wine should be.
Like any good parent, one should encourage but not mould. If one sees a trait that is perhaps not what one would like to see, the solution lies not in how to cure the problem. but in learning to understand where it came from. Each year we have a new family to raise and our increased understanding can pass back to the new generation's schooling in the vineyard.
Gravity flow is the start of a gentle process, avoiding the need to pump fruit uphill. Ferments are spontaneous from the wild or indigenous yeasts that are in our vineyards and winery. Inert gas is shunned. Oak is a subtle companion not a loud guest. The Malo is simply a function of letting the warm spring air into the cellars. Pinots are unfined and unfiltered, Chardonnays are increasingly treated in the same way. The bottlings of single vineyard and single block wines are based on their speaking of a place, not on their size or hierachy of flavour.
Our Land & Vines
Considerable research by Stewart Elms (hence the Elm tree logo) in 1991 identified the north facing slopes at the end of Felton Road, Bannockburn as being one of the warmest and most ideal sites in Central Otago for the growing and production of premium wine. Heat summation data and soil maps of the area, developed as a result of the construction of the Clyde dam, were helpful in this decision. The three different soils identified are free draining with low fertility characteristics, and combined with the unique climate, are ideal for the production of premium quality Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling.
Our vineyards are managed by our own viticulturist, Gareth King, and his team of dedicated staff. Meticulous summer management of a single vertical shoot positioned (VSP) canopy ensures even and early fruit maturity. Shoot thinning, shoot positioning, leaf plucking and bunch thinning are all carried out by hand as required to ensure optimum quality fruit. Inter-row planting of various different cover crops in order to assist in controlling vine vigour, and to improve soil health and general biodiversity.
Mulch is also used in drier parts of the vineyard to help retain moisture, minimise the requirement for irrigation, and to balance areas of lighter more free draining soils. Organic compost is made utilising the winery waste, and organic cow manure and straw.
Since 2002 the vineyards have been managed organically and biodynamically, and in 2010 all three vineyards were awarded full Demeter certification. Pruning is carried out to leave desired bud numbers thus ensuring moderate controllable yields and to create an even, light penetrable canopy. Irrigation is usually necessary during the later dry summer months. Soil moisture levels are carefully monitored and water is applied only when necessary to maintain appropriate soil moisture levels. All grapes are carefully hand picked, keeping separate any quality differences within blocks due to clones, rootstocks and viticultural trials.
The Elms Vineyard - 14.4 Hectares
History & Location
The Elms Vineyard at the end of Felton Road lies in a gently sloping, north facing valley cut into the Bannockburn hills at the southern extremity of the Cromwell basin. Immediately above the vineyard lies Stewart Town and a large dam, where water was stored for sluicing the slopes of Bannockburn during the gold-rush which started in the 1860's. The fact that this valley was untouched by the gold miners is possibly a reflection of the deep benches of heavy soil that form much of its structure: soils unlikely to hold significant amounts of gold. After the gold miners departed, the slopes were left for sheep to graze until Stewart Elms discovered the site's potential for great Pinot Noir. He started to plant in 1992 and Felton Road began.
Cornish Point - 7.6 Hectares
History & Location
Cornish Point is an old gold miners settlement located adjacent to the Hartley and Reilly diggings where the first large find of gold was made in the Central Otago gold rush. It was named after the Cornish gold miners who lived there and was abandoned in the late 19th century then planted as an apricot orchard in the mid 20th century. We planted it to vines in 2000. Bordered on one side by the Clutha River and on the other by the Kawarau (now both flooded at this point to form Lake Dunstan), it is unique in being almost totally surrounded by water.
The vineyard is adjacent to the entrance to the Cromwell Gorge which results in steady airstreams. This as well as the proximity to the lake, both help minimise frost. Additional spring frost protection is provided by a flipper vine row sprinkler system for when temperatures really plummet. Although the edges of Cornish Point were eroded by sluicing or other digging, the vineyard itself is undisturbed soils.
Calvert Vineyard - 10.1 Hectares
History & Location
Calvert Vineyard is located just 1km east of the Elms Vineyard on Felton Road. The gentle north facing slopes lie immediately below the hills of the Bannockburn gold sluicings, now a historic park. Bailley's Gulley tailrace that carried away massive amounts of sluiced gold workings divides the property and provides excellent cold air drainage to minimise frost risk. The vineyard land had been home to a few sheep, rabbits and briar bushes until planting of vines began in 1999.2015 Felton Road Pinot Noir Cornish PointTasting Note
Brambly forest floor, deep Eastern spice box and dark concentrated cherry aromas. The fruit intensity and plump richness that sings Cornish Point ultimately gives way to a pleasant and soothing rustic charm. An alluring and irresistible mouthfeel with a savoury intensity shining through the finish. Textbook Cornish Point; mouth-coating, silky, sexy and spicy!
Vintage
Cool spring conditions resulted in bud burst a little later than usual and slow early season growth. The weather finally stabilised in time for flowering in mid- December. Low rainfall assisted with soil temperatures finally increasing causing a rapid growth surge. Peak temperatures continued to be high throughout January in the build up to veraison. Bunch compositions were overall of a good size although berry numbers were down in places. Temperatures were relatively moderate through February with warmish nights but more than double the monthly rainfall. Veraison was helped by the early warmth and achieved completion quickly. Vine and leaf condition held very well with no signs of stress or early shut down. Yields were normal with harvest starting on March 27. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were completed by April 11 after 8 consecutive days of fast picking with fine weather throughout. The last of the Riesling was picked on April 14.Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia)
Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina".
Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins.
The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled.
In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting.
Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid.
As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries.
A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced.
In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid.
If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.New Zealand New Zealand Wine (New Zealand Winegrowers)South Island Noeth Island (wine-pages.com)Otago On weinlagen-info |
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